Forgive and Forget
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: An art trade with ProbableImpossibilities. Set after Zexal's end. The Barians are all humans now. But that doesn't mean the wrongs of the past have been unwritten. Friendly Gorgonicshipping.


**Zexal Oneshot**

**Forgive And Forget**

**Friendship**

**Vector/Rio**

**An art trade with ProbableImpossibilities. Set after Zexal's end. The Barians are all humans now. But that doesn't mean the wrongs of the past have been unwritten. Gorgonicshipping.**

**(Don't own Zexal. If I did, our faves would not be at risk of unemployment.)**

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**D.T.B: Long story short, this is a part of an art trade with ProbableImpossibilities. I made a request of her, she made a request from me. So, without further ado, enjoy Forgive and Forget. :)**

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Forgive and Forget

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"Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup."

Vector pulled his cover over his head in an attempt to muffle the incessant noise. He had no desire to get out of bed for another 23 hours, regardless of what his clock might have in mind.

"Leave me alone," he muttered from underneath his pillow.

Just like that, the ringing stopped. For a moment, Vector had actually thought that maybe the annoying piece of metal got the picture and left him alone.

Nope. No such luck for Vector.

"Mo! Vector! Wake up already!"

A sudden chill went up his back, forcing him to look up to the source of the voice.

Rio had ripped his Umbral Horror designed blanket off of his bed and held it captive in her slender fingers. "Wake up!" she snapped. "You're not gonna sleep all day again."

Vector, still half asleep, chose to ignore her altogether, followed by plopping his pillow over his head again.

That, in hindsight, was a bad move.

"Wake up, Vector," Rio growled. "Before I use desperate measures."

Didn't listen again.

That did it.

In the time it took to blink an eye, Vector was out of his bed, screaming something unintelligible as he struggled in getting a piece of ice out of his shirt. By the time he was successful in getting it out, he was wide awake and Rio was downstairs, getting breakfast ready.

That little... Vector was beginning to doubt his decision of teaching her pranks for April 1st.

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After drying his back of the leftover water, Vector proceeded to get into his uniform and go downstairs for some much needed chow. "I am hungry," he said. "I hope you prepared something extra tasty, Rio-chan."

Everything froze when he entered the dining room of the Kamishiro mansion. (The Barians cleaned it up and moved in after becoming human.) Every single Barian Emperor in the room was staring at him, including Misael. For a moment, Vector assumed that there was something on his face, but after Alit stood up and said the fatal words, it all came together.

"I've lost my appetite."

Then Alit left the dining room, grabbed his bag, and left for school.

Gilag was the next person to leave, Misael following at a close second. Then Durbe, who refused to even look Vector in the eye, and Ryoga, who at least had the decency to glare at him before leaving the room.

Vector was lucky enough to choke down a gulp. While it caught him off-guard and stung his pride, he understood why they chose to leave so abruptly.

They didn't want to be in the same room with him at that point.

They had yet to forgive him for his betrayal in the War of the Numbers, after all. And why would they? It was only natural that they would find being in the same room with him slightly uncomfortable.

With a rather irked sigh, he sat down at the table and grabbed Durbe's meal; the one meal that hadn't been touched as of yet. "Did I come at a bad time?" Vector asked, taking a bite out of the food.

Banana and chocolate chip pancakes, just for the record. Sometimes, Rio couldn't help but get inventive with her meal ideas. Said it helped keep the guys on their toes.

"I don't know," Rio said, seemingly ignoring the disappearance of the boys altogether. "How about you just eat and forget about it? We've all got school today."

Vector took another bite of his meal. "Correction: **most** of us have school today," he said. "Your brother's gonna play hooky and Misael doesn't go to Heartland Academy."

Rio huffed. "Fine," she relented. "**Most** of us have school today. But you're in the 'most of us' section, so you'd better eat and go."

Vector nearly growled. "So you don't want to be near me either, huh?" he asked under his breath, finishing Durbe's meal and leaving the kitchen in a huff. "Thanks for the meal."

Rio's eyes widened. "Wait, Vector," she exclaimed. "That's not what I mean."

By that time, Vector was too far away from her to hear what she said.

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Vector looked at himself in the water fountain in the park near the school. The crystal water allowed him to see his reflection perfectly, the sunlight reflecting off its glassy surface. For a moment, he remained uncharacteristically silent, but then he narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw something forming beside his reflection.

Then he growled. Beside his reflection stood his former Barian self, his left arm propped up against Vector's right shoulder. He could hear his own laughter ringing in his ears.

Laughter he promised himself he would never hear again.

"_Jyan, jyan, jyan!"_ he could himself laugh.

Frustrated, he threw his hand into the water, destroying his reflection.

And the horrible memory it carried.

As soon as the water settled, however, he noticed something new in the water.

A new reflection.

Rio's.

"Are you okay?"

Vector slowly turned to face her, a somber expression written all over his face. "What is it to you?" he asked.

Rio looked at him with her saddened pink eyes. "Vector," she said, "I'm just a little worried about you. That's all."

"And why's that?" Vector asked, leaning against the fountain.

Rio sighed. "Because we do," she said, pouting slightly. "You got a problem with that?"

"Maybe I do," Vector responded, looking away.

Rio 'hmphed.' Then she cast Vector a sidelong glance. The former Barian Emperor was giving a childish pout as he looked to the blue sky above them.

She sighed again. "Listen, Vector," she said, "it's not that they don't trust you. They just aren't comfortable around you right now."

Vector looked over to her, apparently slightly interested in what she might have to say.

"If you want them to stop being so uncomfortable around you, you have to try and be comfortable around them," Rio continued. "Not everybody accepts a silent apology."

Vector stared at her for a moment, then turned away. "You've got an answer to everything, don't you?" he asked, his face adopting a red tint.

Rio smiled and nodded. "You might say that," she said. "Well, see you at class then, Vector-kun."

Vector shot her a glance as she walked away. "Vector-kun?" he thought. "Nobody's ever called me that before."

He looked at her retreating back for a moment longer before swallowing and saying, "I'm sorry...for everything."

He said it so silently, nobody would have been able to hear.

Well, most people, anyway.

Slowly, Rio stopped walking and turned her head, a smile on her face. "You're forgiven, Vector-kun," she whispered, her smile still strong.

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**D.T.B: Did this work? Personally, I don't actually SHIP this pairing, but I did have a crazy thought once. **

**Sirius: "What if the reason Vector attacked Nasch and Merag was actually because he was couldn't get the girl?" That was your thought?**

**D.T.B: Yup. Cool, huh?**

**Sirius: 'Cool' is not the word I was thinking of.**

**D.T.B: Whatev. Review, people.**


End file.
